Scarlett Dreams

Scarlett finds herself caught in a kind of horror movie she never knew existed. The real kind.

As she struggles to survive in this house of murder and despair, she finds herself recklessly falling for one of the men. Can she really love the same man she fears? Love knows no boundaries, but the one Scarlett loves may be stricken by what he is. She only prays he'll have the heart to keep her alive. But when she finds out that terrifying secret about him, how long will she really be able to cling to life?
View table of contents...

Chapters:

Without thinking, I drove the knife into his back with
unexpected strength. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I
pushed it deeper and he screamed. He was wounded, yes. But I
wasn't finished. Yanking the weapon out, I watched as he screamed
again and fell to the floor, facing up. The knife drove cleanly
into his heart, making him cry out once more. Frantically, I took
the long sword from the wall, bringing it down upon his bare
neck. In three horrifying blows, his head came spewing off his
body.

Staring at the mangled body in front of me, my stomach
twisted, but I knew there was still one thing to do. I dragged
him out to the small yard, snatching a box of matches on my way.
Striking one against the side of the box, I watched as the flame
drifted silently through the air, slipping through my fingers and
catching on the dead body of the man I probably loathed the most
in this word. And I watched him burn.

I knew there wasn't much time. Dashing inside, I burst
through doors until I found Charlotte, unconscious but alive. I
scooped her up, grabbing the knife and sprinting out the door.

I ran until I was out of breath, and then walked until
my knees were weak and my legs gave out from under me. The dark
blanket of night fell upon us, and still Charlotte slept. I laid
her in the leaves beside me and collapsed.

The morning light filtered through the leaves softer
than in the house. Charlotte stirred beside me, her big blue eyes
flickering open.

"Where are we?" Her meek little voice choked out.

"Away from the bad people." A rustling in the leaves
made me scoop her up instinctively.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, where do you live?"

"Liverpool."

"Okay, well, we're going to get you home."

There was a brief pause. Charlotte looked down at the
ground, and then back up at me. "I want my mommy and daddy." Her
eyes brimmed with tears and she fell into my arms.

"Don't worry, I'll get you there. I promise." It was a
pretty serious promise to make, and I wasn't sure if I could
uphold it.

We walked through the woods, just out of view of the
road. I wasn't taking any chances. The sun climbed higher in the
sky, and I had to carry Charlotte once in a while, but the trip
was bearable.

I almost cried when we came upon civilization. The
first thing I saw was a light blue house with a black car in the
driveway. A stone walkway twisted up to the front door, and I
rushed up to it with Charlotte in tow.

"Hello?" My fists pounded desperately on the glass
door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." The light, female voice was
muffled, by the door, which flew open a second later. The woman
was wearing jeans and a black sweater. Her deep brown hair fell
just below her shoulders and she smiled. "How can I help you?"

"Um, can we please use your phone?" My voice was still
shaky, and the woman looked concerned.

"Of course dears, come right in." I hesitated at the
doorframe, and she glanced back at me. "Don't worry, honey, the
phone's right here. I'll even keep the door open, okay?"

"Okay, thank you." I paused. "What town is this?"

"Liverpool." My heart skipped a beat. My legs felt
weak. Things seemed to be going right for once, and it actually
worried me for a second. The police number was up on the wall
next to the phone, and I punched it in.

"Liverpool Police Department."

"Hello, my name is Scarlett, I was abducted from London
and I ended up here. I just escaped with a little girl named
Charlotte. We're at…" I cupped my hand over the phone, calling
out to the woman. "What's this address?" There was no reply, but
she had gone into the kitchen and probably just couldn't hear me.
I talked back into the phone. "I'm not sure of our address, but
it's about three miles from where we were being held. Please help
me."

"We will be right over. Please stay calm and do not
leave your current location."

"Thank you." I placed the phone back, kneeling down
before Charlotte. "Stay here, I'm going to get the nice lady.
I'll be right back okay?"

She nodded, sitting down in the corner as I made my way
to the kitchen.

"Um, if you don't mind, we're going to stay here for a
few more -" My voice cut off with a gasp, and I pressed my palms
to the wall for support.